Tom is the founder and the Board Chairman of Meadowlark Optics located in Frederick Colorado. Meadowlark Optics was founded in 1979. The company specializes in optical components for polarization control and in systems for which this is a key function. He has focused on product development there for bringing new materials to the photonics community for polarization control and on improving metrology for polarization components. He has a blended career in cattle ranching, business park development and photonics. He is the 2017 recipient of the SPIE GG Stokes Award for exceptional contributions to the field of optical polarization. He is the winner of the Business Report Bravo Award as the 2005 Northern Colorado Entrepreneur of the Year. Tom served for 15 years as a Director and Vice president of the Crow Valley Grazing Association.